Any Advice for a newbie with a "shavette"??

[wdwrx]

I have just recently discovered the pleasure of str8 shavin' (trying to break that "swiffer cycle" and managed to find a decent (I think) straight style "feather" style shaver (By which I mean that the blades are replacable: sorry I'm not totally up with the jargon yet....)
I'd been to an old-school barber for (my first ever) str8 shave and was totaly impressed. I was hoping that this type would be a good (read cheap) place to start but I found that the technique wasn't the same as the barber used. I kinda came away looking like I'd lost a fight to an alley cat...... but still a more comfortable shave than the ol' Gilletes! Believe it or not... I was able to talk my 16 yr old son into letting me shave him which I found easier than doing myself (but I have no idea why!) He is a very brave kid (less charitable people might use another word....) But he has an extremely light beard and I could move around to any angle I needed so I didn't seem to have as many issues. One zit I had to shave around but he came away with NO cuts or weepers at all! In all fairness though it was only a single pass shave.
so to make a long story short.....
What should I be doing differently with this shavette style compared to what feels a little more "intuitive"?
Iv'e read that buffing the blade might be a good thing to try... but how exactly do I do that? Would I use newspaper (I don't own a strop) or an old leather belt maybe?
Mostly, I guess, the angle didn't feel right.
Should I wait for a little more length (and healing) before I tried to shave again (though I am kinda anxious to do it again) or is shorter better? with the Mach 3 if I tried to shave everyday I would get the WORST razor rash so always had to wait at least 2, if not 3 days before I could shave again. Is the same generally true with str8s ?
Shore' would appreciate any advice...
Thanks

 

[Luc]

Mmm, all right.

I am no straight razor expert.

Shaving someone else would be easier as you have a better view on where to shave, you can go around, probably use your left/right hand exclusively without much problems.

If there are any injuries, wait a few days before you try again. You do not need to strop a shavette. When the blade is dull, change it.

Blade buffing would be shaving with repetitive short strokes. I would recommend doing this very slowly as you are not used to it. Chances to cut yourself are there!

If the angle didn't feel right, chances are, it's not. Take it slow and try to find the perfect angle for you.

I shave everyday without any problems.

What are you using to make lather (brush/soap/cream/canned)? How's your prep?

 

[wdwrx]

Ok thanks.
The injuries are actually pretty minor..... as I think of it, it reminded me of nothing so much as seeing my father come out of the bathroom after his morning shave with a bunch of toilette paper stuck all over his face.... back in the pre-cartridge days. As a kid I was kinda horrified and as an adult gillete user I guess I traded those little nicks off for just a plane old raw face. (my OCD has always forced me to shave ATG and to leave no whisker uncut!)

I think my prep is pretty good; I've never been happy with the Gillete cratridges, shaving everyday has never been possible with the worst case of rash you've ever seen ever time I had to. I've always used a half-decent badger brush and Nivea cream and know how to work up a nice lather. I've tried most everything available locally over the years and don't really expect to improve on it much; it's always given me the least irritation with the mach 3s, lots glide and such though I try to keep an open mind and will keep my eyes peeled for different things (thanks to the kindly gentlemen here!). I have always shaved last thing in the shower (by feel) but, since this isn't possible with a Str8 I'll do it immediatley afterwards. For my first shave I soaked with hot towels for a good 10 minutes. I tried to replicate everything the barber did for me.

For my Son's shave I used a shaving oil as a pre-shave oil and lathered over top of that (that product gives me pimples though so i can't use it but it gave me a really nice shave pre str8) I guess that might hold true for a str8 shave ? I guess I'll go do a bit more diggin' around the forums on Pre shave treatments..... so much to learn..... I find myself amazed at my ignorance at such a fundamentaly masculine activity! Long live the internet! I can't believe how much i've learned since I whimsically entered "shaving+how to" into the google window......

 

[Luc]

That's good to know that none of the injuries where serious!

Usually, cuts and pimples are caused by too much pressure. A bad angle on top of it won't help.

I used pre-shave oil for a bit but was never really happy with that stuff. A hot shower and/or hot towel always did the trick.

This thread would actually be your best bet to start with:
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=71700